1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a dust collector and a vacuum cleaner provided with the dust collector.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a conventional vacuum cleaner, a dust collector is disposed in a suction passage that connects a suction port to a motor-driven blower, and dirt, dust, etc. are separated from air by a filter of this dust collector to exhaust only the air to the outside of a cleaner body. If the filter is clogged with dirt, dust, etc., the suction efficiency is decreased. Therefore, the filter must be cleaned periodically.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-315701 (refer to FIGS. 17 and 18) discloses a cyclone dust collector attached to the cleaner body, in which a dust case is detachably mounted to a cup-shaped cap fixed to the cleaner body; a brush is provided movably with respect to a dust collection filter provided in an exhaust cylinder on the cap side; a coil spring is interposed between the cap and the brush to move the brush along the filter in association with the opening operation of the dust case; and a connecting rod is provided to connect the brush to the dust case side in such a manner that they can be engaged with and disengaged from each other to move the brush in association with the attachment/detachment of the dust case.
In the above-described conventional dust collector, however, since the coil spring extends and contracts along the surface of filter, the coil spring is exposed to the suction passage. Therefore, dirt, dust, etc. adhere to the coil spring, which gives a poor appearance. Furthermore, there is a possibility that the user touches the coil spring inadvertently when a dust cup is opened.
Also, in the type as in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-315701 in which the brush and the dust case are connected to each other by the rod, since the rod is connected from the brush portion in a dust collection vessel to the outside of the case through the inner peripheral surface on the cap side, the configuration for connecting the rod is complicated.